


what if?

by tozierbraks



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 17:29:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13769013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tozierbraks/pseuds/tozierbraks
Summary: prompt: staring at the other’s lips, trying not to kiss them, before giving in & a gentle “i love you” whispered after a soft kiss, followed immediately by a stronger kiss





	what if?

Richie had started watching Bill’s lips early, fascinated by the way they would get stuck on a sound. He learned quickly that b’s and f’s were especially hard, Bill’s lips often pursing in frustration as he worked to get the words out. He learned to read Bill this way: tight lips meant angry, a half smirk meant he was trying not to laugh, biting his lower lip meant he was concentrating hard. Because of this routine Richie was hardly worried when he caught himself staring intensely at Bill’s mouth on a late July afternoon, a tickle of grass against his hand bringing him back to his senses. Chalking it up to habit he pulled himself up and chased Eddie into the quarry, splashing hard and diving after his friend.

It was August before he caught himself again, the Losers were gathered in a circle around an empty coke bottle, trying to make the most of their last days before they went their separate ways for college. Except for the soft giggles and sound of spinning glass on the concrete floor Richie was unaware of the game around him. His eyes were tracing the curve of Bill’s upper lip when he felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see Bev looking at him expectantly, then shot his eyes down to the bottle pointing straight at himself. They grinned at each other before sharing a brief, familiar kiss. It was Bill’s turn and Richie tried to ignore the tightening in his stomach. When the bottle landed on Mike he watched with rapt curiosity, noticing how Bill took Mike’s bottom lip between his own, gentle but commanding.

Walking home, Richie kept a foot between him and Bill. Their hands had brushed lightly on their way out the door and the shock that went up his arm warned him to keep his distance unless he wanted things to get weird.

“K-kissing bridge, Rich?”  
  
“…what? Oh, yeah, sure thing.”

Stopping for a smoke on the bridge was a typical ritual for them, the only two of the group who had never kicked the habit completely. Still, the irony of the situation was not lost on Richie. As he sat, swinging his legs against the side of the bridge, he elbowed Bill hard in the ribs.

“So where does Hanlon rate from 1-10? Going back for seconds?”  
Bill scoffed and returned the shove, placing his cigarette between his lips.

“Awful quiet tonight, Big Bill.”  
  
“Just thinking. Try it sometime.”

Lapsing back into comfortable quiet, Richie allowed his eyes to wander again, settling on the way Bill’s lips held the cigarette, then the way they parted to exhale. When Bill turned to face him Richie quickly shot his eyes up, finding an unreadable expression on Bill’s face. Out of habit his eyes returned to Bill’s mouth, trying to find any of the familiar expressions. Bill was biting his lip. Concentration. Curious, Richie slowly raised his eyes back to Bill’s to find what was holding his attention. His stomach flipped when he found Bill staring at him, at his own lips.

This time it was the smell of smoke that snapped him back to reality, finding his face just inches from Bill’s. He felt heat everywhere, a tingling ran from his chest to his fingers. He lost himself in a vision of Bill’s lips pressing against Mike’s but jerked out of it when Bill’s hand was suddenly pressed against his jaw, holding him steady. He leaned in hard, nose bumping painfully against Bill’s as their lips collided roughly. Richie’s senses were overwhelmed with Bill’s sharp scent, the taste of smoke, the confident way Bill’s lips moved over his own. He savored the details as Bill nipped gently at his bottom lip and wrapped his hand around the back of Richie’s neck. They parted, breathless. Richie’s hand came up unbidden to trace the shape of Bill’s lips.

“So…1-10? Seconds?”

With a rough yank on his shirt Bill pulled Richie off the bridge and into the edge of the nearby forest. He walked backwards until his back was pressed against a large tree. Richie followed, placing his hands on the rough bark on either side of Bill’s head. When Bill’s hands wrapped around his hips he followed the magnetic pull between them. The kiss was as frantic and desperate as the first, like they could somehow disappear into each other if they just got a little closer, pressed a little harder. When Richie felt Bill swipe his tongue across his bottom lip he let himself lean closer, grinding their hips together gently. Bill’s breath hitched sharply before he froze.

“Rich, mmph, Richie, wait.”

Richie searched Bill’s eyes as he pulled back and his heart faltered. Bill’s eyes were downcast, shifting around the dark ground beneath them. _Shit, Richie, you fucked it up. You know you go too far, maybe humping your best friend in the woods counts as a little too fucking far._

He was pulled out of his head when Bill groaned and slumped down the tree, landing with a soft thump. Richie followed, settling himself between Bill’s bent legs. For a long moment the only sound was from the river running nearby mixed with tense breathing.

“R-Richie, I didn’t b-b-bring you here to…t-t-o just ju-jump you I want to t-t-te…shit.” Richie had always been good at understanding Bill through his stutter, it wasn’t a far leap to “I want to tell you…” but Richie didn’t dare try to finish the sentence. “To tell y-you th-th-th-fuck.”

Richie pressed a hand to Bill’s mouth to silence him. His fingers were shaking. Uncertainty rose in his chest, holding him back from just fucking spitting it out. But Bill had just kissed him. And kissed him again. Bill had just pulled him against a tree and now had some mysterious confession to make. _This is a pretty safe bet, Tozier. Pull it together._

“Alright damn Big Bill, don’t give yourself an aneurysm. How about I do the talking?” He shushed the smartass comment already spilling from Bill’s uneven lips. “Okay, you don’t have to talk but at least give me something, deal?” Bill nodded slowly. Lifting himself to kneel between Bill’s thighs, Richie moved the hand covering Bill’s mouth to his cheek instead. A wave of resolve pushed him to take a deep breath.

“Listen, Bill, what if, what if I said I like you?” Bill grinned and pressed his lips firmly against Richie’s neck. Encouraged, Richie took another breath. “What if I said I really like you?” Bill moved his lips up to Richie’s cheek, drifting slowly before placing another kiss there. Smirking now, Richie continued. “What if I said I really, really like you?” The feeling was electric as Bill’s lips met his own, barely brushing each other in a much softer kiss than they had shared so far.

“R-richie, please…”  
  
“What if I said I love you?”

A small noise escaped Richie’s lips as was knocked backwards, steadied by Bill’s strong hand wrapping around the back of his neck. It was everything and nothing like the kiss on the bridge. It was strong, but not rushed. Passionate, but not desperate. The fireworks in Richie’s chest had begun to settle, turning into a low burning fire. The warmth radiated through his limbs as he placed his head on Bill’s shoulder, laughing softly. Bill threaded the fingers of his right hand through Richie’s.

“I love you too, Rich.”

**Author's Note:**

> @tozierbraks on tumblr


End file.
